After completing the readings and discussion posts for Week 2, please watch the documentary, I am Not Your Negro, available on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Documentary Summary From Rotten Tomatoes:
“In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends-Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript. Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.”
Paper Prompt: After watching the documentary, take some time to reflect on what you learned about the history of Black Americans in the USA. Consider and thoughtfully answer the following questions as you write your reflection. Note, you are welcome to use first-person “I;” however, you are also expected to connect your reflections/thoughts to at least two readings from Week 2 AND one reading from Week 1.
What did you learn, find interesting, disturbing, concerning about the documentary?
This documentary did not explicitly address how advertising and/or consumer culture have contributed to the oppression and marginalization of black Americans, but it does examine how cultural forms (e.g., Hollywood movies, literature, etc) and social movements (e.g., the Civil Rights Movement, #Blacklivesmatter) inform and shape one another.
What connections can you draw between cultural representations of Black Americans, racialized economic disparities, and the social/political history of the 1960s (or before?)
How do readings and activities/lectures from Week 1 and 2 provide additional insights to the documentary?
What historical connections can you make about racial unrest/protests between the 1960s and today?
Grading Criteria:
Thoughtfully engages and answers the above questions
Supports reflection with specific examples and evidence from the documentary AND the readings (see criteria below)
Critically engages a minimum of two (2) readings from Week 2
Critically engages one (1) additional reading from Week 1 that provides additional historical context
Introduces authors, cite, and argument and thoughtfully utilizes concepts rather than summarize or relying on direct quotes
· MLA, APA, or Chicago style citation
· (In-text citations needed, but no Work Cited required)
· Four (4) pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman Font
· Meets college-level writing standards; including grammar, punctuation, syntax, clarity, etc